According to Little Rock, Arkansas television station KARK, former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor will soon be released from prison while he awaits his trial for shooting his cousin last year. KARK reports that Taylor will have to wear an electronic monitoring device and be subject to behavioral reports. In 2014, Taylor pleaded not guilty to the shooting of his cousin, who was shot twice at Taylor's house, with Taylor making
incriminating admissions during a 911 call. While out on bail, Taylor defeated Sam Soliman for the IBF middleweight title. He was set to defend against Sergio Mora, but on Martin Luther King Day, he melted down and allegedly pointed a loaded gun at a young child, which caused him to be sent back to prison with additional charges filed. Taylor's mental health is being studied. He suffered multiple violent knockouts during his career.

This Saturday will feature the long-awaited return of boxing to prime time, network television by the inaugural show of Al Haymon's Premiere Boxing Champions series on HBO. The featured fights are both good ones: Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero at welterweight and Adrien Broner vs. John Molina, Jr. at junior welterweight. Boxingtalk's Ben Dean has taken a look at these two fights and made his predictions. Today, Ben looks at Broner-Molina, with Ben's analysis of Thurman-Guerrero to be published tomorrow.

Showtime Sports will honor one of boxing’s most intense and brutal rivalries, the four showdowns between Mexican legends Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez. The first three are all considered boxing classics.

Tonight, on the eighth anniversary of their epic first battle, Showtime Extreme (10 p.m. ET/PT) will present Vazquez-Marquez I, a unanimous selection of 2007 Fight of the Year. Then on Wednesday, Vazquez-Marquez II, an old-school slugfest that produced a Round of the Year Winner, will air at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The third installment, the 2008 Fight of The Year, will air on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on

Press Release: WBO lightweight champion and the Boxing Writers Association of America's (BWAA) 2014 Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford will move up to 140 pounds and face Thomas Dulorme on Saturday, April 18th at College Park Center at the University of Texas Arlington (Dallas/Fort Worth area). The bout will be televised as part of a split-site doubleheader live on HBO's Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. At stake will be the vacant WBO140-pound title that was stripped from Chris Algieri when he moved up to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Press Release: Denmark's Patrick Nielsen (23-1, 11 KOs) will be fighting George Tahdooahnippah (34-1-2, 24 KOs) in his super middleweight debut on March 14th at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen. Tahdooahnippah is a native American who hails from Oklahoma.

Lara went on to say about Andrade latest drama about pulling out of an offer to fight Jermall Charlo:

"I'm the best in the division. If I put my name to a contract I show up and fight, unlike him when he pulled out of the biggest fight of his career against Charlo. Not to mention, he turned down a fight with me on ESPN2 years ago when I was willing to whoop to put a beating on him for $15.000. And don't forget, I already whooped that ass for free in the amateurs!!! His nickname serves him right...He's Poo Poo!"

Paul Andrade. "[Landa] opted to fight a guy that we beat already in Vanes Martiroysan. I don't even think Jermall Charlo will beat him. I can see Vanes out bullying him and win a decision about eight rounds to four.

San Antonio, Texas' 6'1" featherweight Mario Barrios (7-0, 3 KOs), will make his Las Vegas debut this Saturday March 7, 2105, at the MGM Grand Hotel. Barrios will face Justin Lopez (5-2, 3 KOs) in what will be his first six-round bout. The main event willl feature Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero.

"When you're a kid growing up in this sport, you always think about what it would be like to fight in the boxing capitol of the world, Las Vegas," said Barrios. "Now that time has come and I'm ready to get busy. I don't know much about my opponent expect that he has some power. None the less, I'm looking to impress those in attendance with a great performance."

Advised by Al Haymon, Barrios knows he is in a wonderful position to take his career to the next level.

Australia's Darren Askew has agreed to meet newly crowned New Zealand junior middleweight champion Daniel Roy Maxwell on March 14th. The bout will be slated for four rounds in Queensland, Australia. Since arriving from England, Askew (13-6-1) has won his last seven bouts and picked up the Queensland and Victorian title belts. Maxwell (an astonishing 3-26-1) won the New Zealand title in early February with a ten round unanimous decision victory over Ben Sisam in Waitara.

Despite having only six professional fights under his belt, Zou Shiming, the two-time Chinese Olympic gold medalist and three-time world amateur champion is ready for his close-up. Just 23 months removed from his professional debut, Zou (6-0, 1 KO) will challenge amateur rival and defending IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng(14-0, 5 KOs) of Si Racha, Thailand, in the main event on Saturday, March 7th at The Venetian Macao's Cotai Arena.

The bout will be televised via same-day delay on HBO2, beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Cletus Seldin TKO5 Johnny Garcia ... On Friday night, as shown on the ESPN2 network, junior welterweight Cletus "The Hebrew Hammer" Seldin stopped Johnny Garcia in the fifth round in Seldin's home of Long Island, New York. Seldin (16-0 with 13KOs) and Garcia (19-3-1 with 11 KOs) from Holland, MI, went at each other right from the opening bell. Both fighters scored with good shots and Seldin hit the canvas in what was ruled a slip but may have been a flash knockdown from a Garcia right. The fifth saw Seldin landing numerous shots to both the head and body of Garcia. Garcia tried his best to fend Seldin off but the power of Seldin was just too much and the referee stopped the onslaught at 2:29 of round five.

Felix Jr. - Sermona will be part of the Top Rank promoted fight card
with Chinese gold medalist Zou Shiming 6-0 (1KO) challenging Amnat
Ruenroeng 14-0 (5KOs) for the IBF flyweight title in the main event.

The cards promoted in the venue by Top Rank have been a success since
their inception, which Felix Jr. sees as a big opportunity to
capitalize on.

''I was offered the fight and took it, it is a great chance to
showcase my skills at the international level and have been told that
with a good performance, I will be put in line in the not so long
future, for another world title shot'' said Felix Jr.

The Los Mochis, Sinaloa fighter is on a two -fight KO win streak,
following his lone loss, a one point difference decision loss on two
cards when he challenged reigning interim WBA Super Featherweight
champion Bryan Vasquez on the Pacquiao vs. Bradley rematch eleven months
ago.

In Sermona, a reported switch-hitter, Felix Jr. knows a win is a must.

''He (Sermona) is a very good boxer, quick with good power, he is
dangerous as most Filipinos tend to be, I'm not overlooking him, as a
good win will open the doors for me with another title shot, one which I
will not let go to waste'' said the 22 year old fighter.

''It is an honor to be part of this card, and I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity.'' concluded Felix Jr.

Felix Jr vs. Sermona is scheduled for eight rounds and will be main
event on UNIMAS, with Shiming vs. Ruenroeng part of the fight card to be
broadcast on HBO.

- See more at:
http://www.toprank.com/news/boxing-promotions-felix-jr-to-face-sermona-on-quotsolo-boxeo-tecatequot#sthash.eGODPlDt.dpuf

Felix Jr. - Sermona will be part of the Top Rank promoted fight card
with Chinese gold medalist Zou Shiming 6-0 (1KO) challenging Amnat
Ruenroeng 14-0 (5KOs) for the IBF flyweight title in the main event.

The cards promoted in the venue by Top Rank have been a success since
their inception, which Felix Jr. sees as a big opportunity to
capitalize on.

''I was offered the fight and took it, it is a great chance to
showcase my skills at the international level and have been told that
with a good performance, I will be put in line in the not so long
future, for another world title shot'' said Felix Jr.

The Los Mochis, Sinaloa fighter is on a two -fight KO win streak,
following his lone loss, a one point difference decision loss on two
cards when he challenged reigning interim WBA Super Featherweight
champion Bryan Vasquez on the Pacquiao vs. Bradley rematch eleven months
ago.

In Sermona, a reported switch-hitter, Felix Jr. knows a win is a must.

''He (Sermona) is a very good boxer, quick with good power, he is
dangerous as most Filipinos tend to be, I'm not overlooking him, as a
good win will open the doors for me with another title shot, one which I
will not let go to waste'' said the 22 year old fighter.

''It is an honor to be part of this card, and I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity.'' concluded Felix Jr.

Felix Jr vs. Sermona is scheduled for eight rounds and will be main
event on UNIMAS, with Shiming vs. Ruenroeng part of the fight card to be
broadcast on HBO.

- See more at:
http://www.toprank.com/news/boxing-promotions-felix-jr-to-face-sermona-on-quotsolo-boxeo-tecatequot#sthash.eGODPlDt.dpuf

The bout will be televised via same-day delay on Saturday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET/PT. The telecast will open with a ten-round junior middleweight bout between Glenn Tapia (22-1, 14 KOs), of Passaic, NJ, and Daniel Dawson (40-4-1, 26 KOs), of Perth, Australia. On the same card, but not on the HBO2 broadcast,

Roman Gonzalez TKO3 Valentín Leon... In his home country of Nicaragua,WBC 112-pound champion Roman “ Chocolatito” Gonzalez succesfully tested the waters at 115 pounds by stopping Mexico's Valentín "Picoco" Leon, in the third round. Gonzalez, a pound-for-pound contender, improved to 42-0 by getting into gear early. He dropped Leon (38-29-3) in round two and twice more in round three. After the conclusión of this brief bout, Roman expressed his desire to take on Edgar Sosa as his next opponent. Gonzalez's amazing resume includes the following title reigns: WBA 105-pound title from 2008-2010; WBA 108-pound title from 2011 to 2012; and WBC 112-pound title from 2014 to the present. After Gonzalez beat Juan Francisco Estrada at 108 pounds, Estrada moved up to 112 and won the world flyweight championship. source: wbc website

Charles Martin KO10 Raphael Zumbano Love... In Arizona, American heavyweight Charles Martin was extended past the sixth round for the first time in his career, but had enough energy left to knock out Brazil's Raphael Zumbano Love in the tenth round. Martin, now 20-0-1 with 18 KOs, gave Love a bad beating and then dialed his efforts up a notch in the final round. Love falls to 35-10-1. source: iron boy 19 live stream

Chris Eubank, Jr. TKO12 Dmitry Chudinov... In London, Russian middleweight Dmitry Chudinov learned that sometimes you have to be careful about what you ask for. Fighting England's Chris Eubank, Jr., Chudinov demanded a last-minute replacement referee so that the third man in the ring would not be from the same country as Eubank. Chudinov got a replacement, but the new referee stood by and watched Chudinov get pummeled by Eubank round after round. The fight was finally stopped in the twelfth round with Chudinov far behind on points and cut over his eye. It was a huge win for Eubank: he picked up the WBA interim middleweight title and bounced back from his first pro loss, a November split decision loss to Billy Joe Saunders for the European championship. Eubank, the son of a former WBO super middleweight champion, improves to 19-1 while Chudinov falls to14-1-2. source: london daily mail

Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing and Oswaldo Kuchle of Promociones Del Pueblo have announced the renewal of super bantamweight Hugo "Cuatito" Ruiz (35-2, 31 KOs) to a co-promotional contract. From

of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico's, the

28-year-old Ruiz, trained by his father, Heriberto Ruiz and twin brothers, Edel and Heriberto Jr (both former high-level fighters), was last seen demolishing Mexican veteran Carlos Medellin in one round last November.

Ruiz' only loss in the last eight years was a split decision to Japan's Koki Kameda in a WBA title fight in Osaka, Japan, in December 2012.

Sad news to report out of San Antonio as we inform you that former welterweight contender Oscar Diaz passed away this week. Diaz had a professional career that spanned eight years. He racked up an impressive record of 26-3 with 12 KOs. Diaz was discovered in his amateur days by boxing Hall of Fame trainer Lou Duva. Duva often spent time watching Diaz train in San Antonio and also spent time with his cutman, the late Joe Souza. Diaz had several fights that landed on national television, including notable victories over Al "Speedy" Gonzales, Chris "The Mechanic" Smith, and Jesse Feliciano. During that run, he won multiple regional titles. Sadly for Diaz, he will most be remembered for his final bout, which was against Delvin Rodriguez. The fight took place on July 16th, 2008 at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio and was broadcast on ESPN2.

Tony Thompson TKO9 Odlanier Solis... In Turkey, former Cuban amateur star Odlanier Solis flushed his heavyweight career down the toilet by showing up grossly overweight for his rematch with America's Tony Thompson, and then quitting in the ninth round. Solis was getting punched around by a tired but determined Thompson and then refused to fight when the ninth round started. Solis' promoter, Ahmet Ohner, who was also working Solis' corner, berated Solis, but the Cuban refused to fight on. The 43 year-old Thompson improved to 40-5 and strengthened his credentials not only as a legitimate top 20 heavyweight but as a bona fide spoiler. Solis, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, is now 20-3, including two straight losses to Thompson. Solis' only road back is to serve as a gatekeeper and knock off a couple of top prospects. source: youtube video

Heavyweight Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola (35-4, 31 KOs) returns to the ring on Friday, March 13th at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif. [No opponent has been named with the fight just two weeks away, indicating it will likely be a lay-up for Arreola]. The card features Andre Berto against Josesito Lopez and Shawn Porter battling Roberto Garcia on the debut of PBC on Spike TV. Born in Escondido, Calif. but fighting out of Los Angeles, Arreola was a 2001 National Golden Gloves champion who turned pro in 2003 and slowly began his rise up the heavyweight rankings. In 2009, Arreola unsuccessfully challenged Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight world title. After dropping a tough decision to Tomasz Adamek in 2010, Arreola pushed his way back with six-straight victories before he got a chance against Bermane Stiverne in 2013. In their first fight, Arreola lost a unanimous decision but earned himself another fight against Stiverne, this time for the heavyweight world championship. In an action-packed fight, Arreola was stopped in the sixth-round. Arreola is now 33.

At London's O2 Arena today, heavyweight contender Tyson Fury puts his 23-0 record on the line against Christian Hammer (17-3). Hammer, a Romanian fightingout of Germany, has strung together several solid wins in a row. On the same card, popular Chris Eubank, Jr. is hoping to rebound from his first career loss, a split decision to Billy Joe Saunders. However, Eubank (18-1) will be in very tough, challenging WBA interim middleweight titlist Dmitry Chudinov (14-0-2). source: box nation press release

Anne Sophie Mathis D10 Oxandia Castillo... Fighting in Sarcelles, France, female junior middleweight Anne Sophie Mathis was surprisingly held to a split draw by Oxandia Castillo. In a fast-paced fight in front of a packed arena, the 37year-oldMathis had problems with her 20-year-old Dominican challenger from the start, and even looked hurt by hard shots from Castillo several times in the first three rounds. But Mathis, a three-weight titlist, found her rhythm from round four on, and connected with well-placed body punches, as well as her jab and straight right hand. After a ten round battle, the official scorecards had 95-95, 96-94 for Mathis and 96-94 for Castillo.Mathis is now 27-3-1 in a career that started in 1995, while Castillo, a pro for only three years, travels home to Santo Domingo at 13-2-3. (10). A rematch seems proper. source: wbf press release

Light heavyweight world champion Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (25-1, 21 KOs) returns to the ring Saturday, April 4th at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City to defend his title against former super middleweight beltholder Sakio "The Scorpion" Bika (32-6-3, 21 KOs).

Stevenson (pictured) said, "I know Bika will stop at nothing, so the fight will be spectacular and extremely offensive-minded. I predict that Bika will lose by knockout for the first time in his career."

It's been a long time since I wrote to you, but with 2015 shaping up, boxing back on network television, the super fight finally happening, I had to write down some thoughts. First Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. All the true boxing fans know why one of the biggest reasons this fight is finally happening is because Floyd feels Pacquiao is not same animal as before. It's true Pac is not that same guy from 2009-11. His body has changed, he's thinking more, but this new version of Pac is still a tough out. There's no way I'm counting Mayweather out but Pac is all wrong for Floyd, but we'll see. I believe we will get a really good fight and it's because I recently watched the Floyd's fight against Demarcus Corley. People forget but Demarcus gave Floyd a way tougher fight than Zab Judah did.

Middleweight Jonathan Cepeda has now won five straight following his only career loss and a nearly two-year layoff. Last Sunday at The Mansion in Atlanta, Cepeda improved his career mark to 17-1 with 15 KOs by winning via first-round stoppage against Laatekwei Hammond (21-9 with 14 KOs). Cepeda knocked Hammond down three times in the first round, causing referee Brian Slutts to stop the fight at the 1:39 mark. Hammond had to be lifted up from the floor by the ref and his manager after Cepeda's assault by a Cepeda. Manager

Joe Kran stated, "Cepeda is a real smart fighter. Jonathan has learned how to maintain his very aggressive, crowd pleasing style, while being in complete control of his actions". Under Kran, Cepeda has had fve fights since August.

Cepeda commented after the fight that Hammond was, "knew that I had great power, but he was surprised by my speed. I was able to hit him from many different angles which he couldn’t defend." source:

Kovalev will defend the WBO, WBA and IBF light heavyweight championships against Jean Pascal. The fight will be televised as part of a live triple header on HBO World Championship Boxing on March 14, 2015 from the Bell Centre in Montreal. Here os what Kovalev had to say at an open workout held in Miami, Florida:

Press Release: Heavyweight Trey Lippe-Morrison faces his toughest opponent to date when he battles Richard Dawson (5-2-2) on Saturday, March 7th in the six-round main event at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, OK. Hailing from nearby Tulsa, OK , Lippe-Morrison’s 6-0 with all of his wins coming by knockout. Like his late father Tommy Morrison, Trey’s a big draw with strong punching power.

On March 14th, Nadjib "The Algerian Assassin" Mohammedi (36-3, 22 KOs) will face Lee Campbell (8-1, 4 KOs) on the undercard of the Sergei Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal fight in Montreal. When Nadjib defeated Anatoliy Dudchenko to become the IBF light heavyweight contender IBF, he thought his next opponent would be Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins as Hopkins' mandatory challenger. When Hopkins decided to face Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev in a unification fight for the WBO, WBA and IBF light heavyweight championships, Mohammedi was added to the Hopkins-Kovalev undercard.

But when Mohammedi arrived in New Jersey ahead of his fight with Demetrius Walker on November 8th, he found out that his trainer was unable to get to the United States.

Congratulations to lightweight contender Tony "Lightning" Luis (19-2, 7 KOs), whose fiance Manon Latulippe gave birth to their first child, a son named Miguel, on February 20th. Born at 6 lbs 14 oz, Luis says baby Miguel is healthy and beautiful. "I named him after Miguel Cotto, always loved the name for a boy," explained Luis. source: greg cohen promotions press release